


Aunt Chris May Have Killed an Old Guy

by moomoomeep



Series: I Know, You Know [5]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Black Detective, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Characters of color, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, Family, Multi, Neighborhood Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-19 15:27:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8214194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moomoomeep/pseuds/moomoomeep
Summary: When Aunt Chris is arrested, Ed joins forces with the Central City Police Department in order to uncover the truth.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! How have you been? I'm well into the semester now and it's been a minute since I've looked at the rest of the series so if something's wrong or doesn't sound right, please let me know. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up as soon as I can! I hope you guys enjoy! :D 
> 
> Inspired by: Psych season 2 episode 10 (there may be spoilers throughout)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or Psych.
> 
> Note: This fic takes place one month after Dual Spires.

“Edward, could you please tell me why you decided to visit me on this rainy ass day _without_ bringing along my daughter?” Aunt Chris says as she pours Ed another glass of Whiskey.

“I didn’t bring Winry because she stole my boyfriend to go shopping,” Ed says with a scowl before knocking back his drink.

Aunt Chris laughs heartily. “Is that why you’re here sulking?”

Ed snorts. “Can’t a man visit one of his favorite ladies and not have an ulterior motive?”

“If your other ladies don’t know you as well as I do, then yes,” Aunt Chris says before knocking back her own drink.

Ed pushes his glass towards Aunt Chris for a refill, blowing out a heavy breath and resting his chin on his palm. “Well, she wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for that damned automail convention in a few days, so there,” he finishes lamely.

Aunt Chris smirks as she refills their glasses. “You’re jealous.”

“Am not,” Ed counters lamely.

“You _are!_ ” Aunt Chris exclaims before bursting into laughter.

Ed huffs and crosses his arms in an irritated manner. With Al at work and Winry hogging all of Roy’s free time, Ed quickly found himself bored so he decided to call Aunt Chris to see if she wanted some company before the brothel opened for the night.

He should have known it’d be a mistake coming here.

When Ed pulls himself from his thoughts, Aunt Chris is still laughing, which causes his scowl to deepen. “Are you ever going to stop, Grandma?”

“Not on your life, beanpole.”

_“BEANPOLE?”_

“Chris Mustang?”

Aunt Chris’s laughter immediately ceases at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Ed and Aunt Chris turn to see two uniformed officers standing in the doorway, slightly damp from the rain.

“That’s me,” Aunt Chris confirms. “Can I help you officers?”

“Yes ma’am,” says the same officer as he and his partner step further into the brothel, the door shutting with an air of finality behind them. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. “We have a warrant for your arrest.”

Ed’s eyes widen and he turns to Aunt Chris, who is wearing an equally disbelieved look.

“There has to be some kind of mistake,” Aunt Chris says with a forced calm tone. “What are the charges?”

“Voluntary manslaughter,” the second officer responds as he pulls out a pair of cuffs. “Please place your hands behind your back.”

“ _Manslaughter_! Are you out of your mind?” Aunt Chris exclaims as she reluctantly complies. “I haven’t killed anybody—I’m innocent!”

“That’s what they all say, ma’am,” the officer says as he places the cuffs on Aunt Chris’s wrists.

“Edward, you believe me, don’t you?” Aunt Chris says, sounding desperate as she meets Ed’s eyes.

“Of course I do,” Ed says as his heart pounds in his chest. He racks his brain in an attempt to think of something he can do now, but the officer’s warrant renders him powerless. He swallows hard, watching as Aunt Chris is led from the brothel before getting up and following the officers out.

“Ed, please don’t tell Roy,” Aunt Chris says as she’s placed in the back of the car. “If he finds out, it’ll break his heart.”

Ed hesitates. “You know that I can’t keep something like this from him.”

Aunt Chris’s face falls and she looks guilty for even suggesting such a thing. “You’re right and I’m sorry. Just . . . try to break it to him gently. You know how he is.”

Unfortunately, Ed does. “Don’t worry, Aunt Chris, you won’t be there for long. I’ll meet you at the station.”

Aunt Chris nods and one of the officers, who was waiting semi patiently for their conversation to end, shuts the door. He climbs into the passenger seat while his partner starts the car and pulls away from the curb.

Ed stands on the sidewalk, watching the police car drive away until it disappears from view before going back inside. He walks around the bar and sets the used cups on the lowest shelf to be dealt with later before grabbing the phone Aunt Chris keeps behind the counter. He picks up the receiver before dialing home, his fingers tapping impatiently while he waits for someone to answer. The phone rings for a solid minute before Ed hangs up after realizing that no one is home yet. He sighs heavily before dialing the office in the hopes that someone will still be lingering around at the end of the workday.

The phone rings three times before the line clicks. “General Mustang’s office.”

“Riza, it’s Ed. I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Aunt Chris was arrested.”

Riza sucks in a breath. “What? On what grounds?”

“Voluntary manslaughter.”

“That doesn’t sound like Aunt Chris at all.”

“That’s what I’m saying. I tried to call Roy, but no one picked up at the house. He and Winry must still be out. Do you think you could send someone out to find them?”

“I’ll do it myself. I’ll meet you at the station.”

“Thanks Riza. I’ll see you soon.”

“Alright. Goodbye Ed.”

“Bye.” Ed hangs up and takes a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare himself for what’s about to come next. He counts to ten before blowing out his breath. He checks his pocket for his keys, pulling them out as he circles the bar, exiting through the front door and quickly locking it behind him. He slips his hands into his pocket and steps out into the rain before making his way to the police station.

*

When Ed finally arrives at the Central Police Department, he’s completely soaked to the bone. Ed shivers and wraps his arms around himself as he comes to a stop in front of the station, staring up at the run down building for a long time before blowing out a heavy breath. He slowly climbs the stone steps, pushing open the double doors and entering the station, immediately greeted by the sound of incessantly ringing telephones and the smell of days old coffee.

Looking around, he spots a large oak desk on the other side of the room with a dark haired woman sitting behind it, whom he assumes is the secretary, thoroughly engaged in whatever she’s reading. Ed lets the double doors fall closed behind him as he walks over to the desk, waiting approximately two seconds before clearing his throat.

The secretary sighs heavily through her nose and slowly raises her head. “Can I help you?” she asks, sounding annoyed.

“Yeah, I’m here to see Chris Mustang,” Ed says.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” a new voice says before the secretary even gets a chance to open her mouth.

Ed scowls and whirls around to find a dark skinned woman with waist length dreads standing behind him. “And why not?”

“Because of how high profile the Mustang case has become,” the woman says as she smooths her hands over her dark pantsuit, which brings attention to the gold badge gleaming on her hip. “No one, but family is allowed in.”

Ed opens his mouth to say that he is family, but catches himself when he remembers that he and Roy aren’t officially out yet. And even if they are, they aren’t married, so it wouldn’t make a difference anyway. Fucking laws.

“Can you at least tell me why the case is so high profile?” Ed tries.

The woman crosses her arms. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Ed grits his teeth and tries to think of something else when a thought pops into his head. “What if I told you that I was military?”

The woman looks amused. “Can you prove it?”

Ed nods and digs through his pockets before producing his watch, relieved that he remembered to bring it. He holds out the watch to the woman, who looks it over for a minute before nodding her head and sticking out her hand.

“Detective Tanisha Adams. I’m the Lead Investigator on the Mustang case.”

Well, that explains her reluctance to talk, Ed thinks to himself as he puts away his watch and shakes her hand. “Major Edward Elric.”

Detective Adams’ eyes light with recognition as they release hands. “I’ve heard of you. The Fullmetal Alchemist, right?”

“That’s right.”

“You do some good work. It’s nice to see the military stick up for the people every now and then,” Detective Adams says before clasping her hands. “Now, if you would follow me, I can give you more information about the case.”

Ed nods his head gratefully before following Detective Adams deep into the bowels of the station, dodging detectives rushing around and carefully stepping over clearly classified documents strewn all over the floor. He shakes his head as he’s led to an office in the back with Detective Adams’ name written on the door. He waits while she unlocks her office and steps into the room after her. Ed shuts the door behind him and takes a seat in one of the empty chairs while Detective Adams settles in behind her neat and tidy desk.

“I’ll go ahead and give you the short version of what we have since there’s a lot to cover,” Detective Adams says. “Chris Mustang’s neighbor, Ernest Downs, was found dead in an apparent suicide this morning. After further investigation, there were signs of blunt force trauma and poisoning. When we recovered all of the weapons we believe were used during the murder, they were covered in Chris Mustang’s fingerprints.”

“I know of that neighbor,” Ed says after a brief moment of contemplation. “According to everyone who lives on the block, he has a history of borrowing without returning.”

“In spite of that, the evidence against Chris Mustang is overwhelming and it won’t take the DA long to decide to go to trial.”

Ed thinks over her words for a long moment. “What if I can prove her innocence?”

Detective Adams blinks in what appears to be shock. “You’re certainly welcome to try.”

“I can do it,” Ed says without hesitation. “Do you think I can see the crime scene?”

Detective Adams nods. “I was actually about to head there when I overheard your conversation. You’re welcome to ride with me.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Ed says as they both rise to their feet.

“You’re welcome,” Detective Adams says as she leads the way out of her office, locking the door behind them before continuing on through the station.

Ed follows her in silence, dodging more detectives and a hell of a lot more documents that practically cover the floor at this point. They exit the building at the same time a black, military issued vehicle parks in front of the building. Perfect timing.

“You go ahead. I’ll meet you in a minute,” Ed says.

Detective Adams narrows her eyes suspiciously. “Alright,” she agrees after a long moment, which causes Ed to look at her in surprise. “The cruiser we’ll be taking is number eighteen. Be there in five minutes.”

Ed nods, still in shock as he watches Detective Adams walk away, wondering why she didn’t press for details. After a minute, he shakes his head and climbs down the stone steps. As he approaches the vehicle, the rear window rolls down and reveals Roy sitting in the backseat.

Roy has a mask in place, but Ed reads him like a book now and can see how scared he really is. Next to him is Winry, who looks beside herself, while Riza is behind the wheel; her white knuckled grip is the only thing that betrays her true emotions.

“Ed, what the hell happened?” Roy asks trying to sound stern but Ed can clearly hear the tremor in his voice.

Ed stops in front of the vehicle before leaning against it. “I have a feeling that Aunt Chris is being framed, but I need to prove it. I’m about to head over to the crime scene with the lead detective.”

Roy scowls. “First, West City and now this,” he says before sighing. “Alright, if you give me ten minutes, we can all ride over together.”

“Oh, no. Roy, out of everyone here, you are the closest one to this case. The police aren’t going to let you anywhere near the crime scene.”

“He’s right, sir,” Riza chimes in before Roy can protest. “Your heavily biased involvement could jeopardize the investigation. Not to say that Ed isn’t biased too, but you’re her nephew.”

Roy’s scowl deepens. “I hate it when you’re both right.”

Ed takes a step away from the car and looks around, making sure that there isn’t anyone listening nearby before leaning in through the open window and lowering his voice. “I’ll take care of the investigation. You go and be with Aunt Chris.”

Roy’s expression softens. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“A whole lot of bullshit,” Ed says. He starts to lean in when he remembers where they are. The slip up was completely worth it for the smile that crosses Roy’s face. “Later?”

“You bet your ass,” Roy says, which causes Ed to laugh. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Ed says, feeling awkward that the statement wasn’t followed by a kiss or hug or _something_.

Ed bites back a sigh and waves to Winry and Riza, who have been ignoring their conversation for the most part. He straightens his posture and takes a couple steps back before walking away in search of Detective Adams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to get this up, I've been super busy this semester. Please let me know if there are any inconstancies or overall continuity issues. I hope you guys enjoy!

“So. Who was the guy?”

Ed blinks in surprise. He wasn’t expecting to be pulled from his thoughts so soon into their drive. “What?”

Detective Adams snorts. “I said: who was the guy?”

“Oh, that was my C.O. He’s Au—Chris Mustang’s nephew.”

“Ah. General Roy Mustang, the Famous Flame Alchemist,” Detective Adams recites as if she was reading from a textbook. “You know, I’ve heard a lot of things about him.”

“Such as?” Ed inquires curiously.

Detective Adams laughs lowly. “Why do you wanna know? You gonna tell on me?”

Ed snorts. “Please. As if that bastard needs any more reasons to have his ego inflated.”

Detective Adams laughs louder. “Look, all I’ll say is that some things are good and others are bad.”

“But?”

“ _But_ , overall, he seems like a nice guy with a good head on his shoulders.”

Ed has to bite down hard on his lower lip in order to prevent a dopey grin from crossing his face. He always has to do this when someone who doesn’t know of their relationship praises his boy. “You know. He’s actually managed to grown on me over the years.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Ed says before turning his head to look at Detective Adams. She’s actually watching the road unlike Roy, who would have killed them by now. “When I first joined the military and for years after, we used to be at each other’s throats. But now, things are good. He’s a great leader, but an even better man.”

A smile crosses Detective Adams face and she nods her head. “Good to know,” she says in an interested tone. “And to think all my boss does is give me paperwork.”

“That’s funny. Mine is in the process of inventing new ways to get out of his. Last week, he switched uniforms with a private and tried to sneak out of his office. His second in command sits right outside the door and she was pissed.”

Detective Adams laughs loudly. “Oh, I’ll bet,” she says in between laughs as she pulls onto Aunt Chris’s street. She drives down the narrow road for another thirty seconds before pulling off and parking in front of Ernest Downs’ house, which is directly across from the brothel. “Here we are.”

Ed takes off his seatbelt before climbing out of the car and shutting the door behind him. He turns to the house, which has become somewhat of a familiar site in the years since he’s known Roy, and wonders how he managed to miss the police tape and police cars parked out front. He gulps as he circles the car and hopes that none of the officers in the area saw him leave the brothel other than the arresting officers. In his experience, the arresting officers don’t give a shit. It’s the investigating officers that one has to look out for.

“So, do you know anything about the property?” Ed asks as they make their way towards the front door, walking side by side.

“It’s highly sought after for one thing. Being across from a brothel doesn’t change the fact that this is one of the oldest buildings in what is known as Historic Downtown Central,” Detective Adams says. “The ceiling high windows in the attic have a lovely view of Alden and Wave Park, which is a few blocks over. From what we’ve gathered so far, Mr. Downs was approached constantly by realtors trying to convince him to sell, but he refused every time.”

“Do you think one of those realtors might have gotten tired of waiting for Downs to die naturally?”

“It’s possible, but like I said earlier, the case against Chris Mustang is overwhelming. It’s gonna take some hard evidence to convince the DA to even consider another suspect,” Detective Adams says as she ducks under the police tape and opens the front door.

Ed follows Detective Adams across the threshold and into what he assumes to be the living room. Large and spacious, the room is filled with several armchairs and couches covered in plastic that surround a small glass coffee table. Paintings that look to be a couple hundred years old hang over worn and tacky wallpaper that covers the entire room. Officers are scattered throughout the area dusting for prints, looking for clues, and conversing quietly amongst themselves.

“I need to check on my people,” Detective Adams says as she slips through the doorway and past Ed, letting the heavy, wooden door shut loudly behind them. “You’re free to look around, but please try not to touch anything if you can help it. I’ll come and find you once I’m up to speed.”

Ed nods before looking over at her. “Alright, sounds good.”

Detective Adams returns the nod before walking away and joining up with three female officers standing nearby.

Ed takes a quick look around the area before noticing a wooden staircase to his left. Since the cops seem to have the downstairs covered, his best bet in locating evidence will be to head upstairs.

Ed goes over to the staircase and walks up the steps, having to move to the side when a few officers come barreling down with bags and boxes of evidence in hand, before he reaches the top. Ed walks across the curved balcony that gives him an unblocked view of the living room before approaching a narrow hallway where the bedrooms are located. As he continues on, he passes by a few officers scurrying about from room to room in search of clues. Ed pokes his head into a few of those rooms, but ultimately finds nothing of interest.

Ed feels a sense of hopelessness wash over him as he comes to a stop in front of the final door on this floor. So far, he hasn’t found anything usual to help prove Aunt Chris’s innocence and wonders what the hell he’s supposed to tell Roy tonight. He knows that Roy will understand if they don’t find anything right away, but it won’t stop him from being disappointed.

He sighs again as he reaches for the doorknob and turns it before furrowing his brow. He tries the knob again only to come across the same result: it won’t budge. Curious, Ed looks down the hallway to see if there is anyone else on this floor. He can hear a few officers moving around in rooms closer to the stairwell, but otherwise, no one is giving him a second thought.

Ed kneels down in front of the door and pulls out a bobby pin he swiped from Winry’s room this morning. He gently works the bobby pin apart with his fingers and when he’s satisfied, he sticks the straight end into the keyhole. Ed holds his breath while he wiggles around the bobby pin until he hears the familiar sound of a door unlocking.

Grinning, he pockets the bobby pin and rises to his feet, taking another look down the hallway before opening the door and coming face to face with a staircase. His grin turns to a frown and he steps over the threshold and shuts the door behind him. He carefully walks forward and climbs up the steps until he reaches the top and finds himself in the attic.

Instead of normal walls, Ed finds himself surrounded by ceiling to floor windows that let in an abundant amount of light. If Roy were here, he’d say that this room would be an excellent sunroom and Ed would have to agree. He has a three hundred and sixty degree view of Historic Downtown Central, including Alden and Wave Park just a few blocks over.

Ed turns his gaze away from the windows and looks around the sparsely furnished room before something in the corner catches his eye. There’s a camera set up on a tripod with the lens facing the house next door. Next to the camera is a wooden table with a clear plastic box filled to the brim with unused film. To the right of the box is a manila folder that looks to be stuffed with developed photographs (Ed has no idea where the dark room is because he didn’t find one upstairs), and next to that is a pair of high-end military binoculars.

Ed smiles to himself. Jackpot. He walks toward the table and pulls his gloves out of his pocket, slipping one onto his hand before pausing mid step. He looks down at his gloves curiously and discovers that he’s wearing one of Roy’s ignition gloves.

Ed snorts and shakes his head before sliding the other glove on, since he has nothing else to wear, before continuing his stride and coming to a stop in front of the table. Looking at all of the items, he decides to start with the manila folder. He pulls back the flap and has to pause as he’s confronted with the first photo of one of

Aunt Chris’s regular clients, a Brigadier General who reports to Roy, leaving the brothel.

Ed furrows his brow and flips to the next photo, which is a graphic photo of a couple a few houses over, having sex. The third photo is another of Aunt Chris’s regular clients, dealing crack to her next-door neighbor. As he continues to flip through the photos, more and more of the neighborhood secrets are exposed to him. Gang activity, illegal weapons trading, affairs—photographic evidence is resting right here at his fingertips. But the question is: why would Ernest Downs need so much blackmail on his neighbors?

Ed’s eyes widen at the thought. Blackmail. That’s gotta be it. It would help explain why Downs always seemed to want to use everyone’s things. He knew he wouldn’t get any shit for returning them.

Ed quickly reassembles the photos as they were before turning on his heel. He pulls off and pockets Roy’s gloves as he barrels down the stairs, walking through the door that leads to the attic and back down the narrow hallway. He passes by the same officers still combing through the guest rooms before reaching the balcony.

“Detective Adams,” Ed calls as he leans on the railing.  
Detective Adams, along with all the officers in the living room, look up at him with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

“I found something and you need to see it, right now.”

“What is it?” Detective Adams asks as she makes her way to the stairs with four officers at her six.

“Blackmail. Dozens of photos and there could be more in this house.”

“Where the hell did you find that?” Detective Adams says as she and the officers jog up the stairs.

“In the attic. It doesn’t just have a view of the park, it has a view of the whole damn neighborhood.”

Detective Adams reaches the top of the steps and rounds the corner, coming to a stop in front of Ed, while the other officers continue on. “We didn’t get the chance to search that room yet because it was locked. How did you get in?”

Ed pauses. “I used a secret military technique passed on to me by my C.O. that—”

“Did you pick it?”

“Maybe.”

Detective Adams rolls her eyes. “You know that we need a warrant for that right?”

“I’m not too familiar with the concept of a warrant.”

Detective Adams snorts. “Did your C.O. just let you run around like a wild man?”

“No, in fact he hated it. However, since he was stuck in his office all day inventing new ways to get out of paperwork, he didn’t exactly have the time to chase me around.”

Detective Adams laughs. “Whatever your methods, this is a huge find and would have taken us a few days to find on our own. Good work, Major.”

“Thanks,” Ed says. “Does this mean that Chris Mustang can be released?”

“Not yet, but if what you found produces a good suspect, it might convince the D.A. to drop the charges. Now, I know you probably saw some of the evidence, but would you like to help us look through the rest of the photos.”

“I’d like that,” Ed says before leading the way back to the attic.

*

After hours of searching, so many hours that the sun finally came out and is now setting—they finally uncover a proper suspect.

“Martin Burns,” an officer, whom Ed has come to know as Ramirez, says before handing over a graphic photo of a couple engaged in bondage to Detective Adams, who then shows it to Ed. “He’s a highly respected Central City politician. He’s been reelected five times; he’s married and has six kids. The only thing is, that’s not his wife.”

Detective Adams hums curiously before turning to Ed. “What do you think?”

“I’m thinking that Ernest Downs has been blackmailing the entire neighborhood for whatever reason. With his evidence, he can get whatever he needs from them: money, equipment, you name it, and the neighbors won’t be able to make a fuss because they don’t won’t this information coming out.”

“So, following that line of thinking, Burns must have gotten tired of being blackmailed,” Detective Adams says. “Since Downs had the power to ruin his career and instead of waiting for him to die naturally, he decided to kill him.”

Ed nods his agreement. “And from the looks of it, he tried to put the blame on Chris Mustang since she runs a brothel—”

“And would be one the first person we looked at,” Detective Adams says. “Dammit! Ramirez, get the D.A. on the phone and tell him what we know so far. I don’t care how you do it, but convince him to drop the charges against Chris Mustang and arrange for her release. The rest of us and Major Elric are going to find Burns. Does anyone know where he lives?”

“Right next door to the brothel, ma’am,” another officer, named Sanchez, says.

“Shit!” Detective Adams says as she flies to her feet. “We better hurry.”

*

Detective Adams pounds her fist on Burns’ door three times before taking a step back. She places her hands on her hips and looks around the area with a prominent scowl on her face.

Ed clasps his hands behind his head and rocks back on his heels. “You think he’s home?”

“Oh, he better be. Because if I have to comb the city looking for this asshole—” Detective Adams cuts herself off and shakes her head before pounding on the door again. “Martin Burns, this is the CCPD. We need to ask you a few questions.”

Ed bites back a sigh and tries to resist the urge to pace. He opens his mouth to suggest that they should come back later when Officer Ramirez shouts something unintelligible.

“What was that?” Detective Adams questions.

“He’s getting away!”

Ed’s eyes widen. “Shit,” he exclaims before he and Detective Adams sprint away from Burns’ house.

Detective Adams pulls out her radio without slowing her pace. “This is Detective Tanisha Adams. We’re in pursuit of a suspect fleeing in a bathrobe on Hillcrest Lane. Requesting backup.”

The radio crackles. “Thanks Detective. Backup is on its way.”

“That’s probably the best news we’ve heard all day,” Ed shouts, which causes Detective Adams to bark out a laugh.

After a few minutes of straight sprinting, Ed and Detective Adams finally catch up with Officers Ramirez, Sanchez, and a few of their colleagues well into their pursuit of Burns.

Detective Adams’ noise of frustration is almost drowned out by the sound of approaching police sirens. “Shit, he’s just out of reach.”

“It sounds like backup will be here any minute,” Officer Sanchez yells.

“I fucking hope so,” Detective Adams responds.

Ed watches as Burns rounds a corner up ahead and disappears from view. Detective Adams lets out another noise of frustration when Burns reappears into view after being tackled by none other than Riza Fucking Hawkeye.

Ed snorts and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Officer Ramirez look at him.

“You know who that is?” Officer Ramirez asks curiously.

“Colonel Riza Hawkeye. She’s the best that the military has to offer,” Ed answers as everyone slows down to a jog before stopping next to Riza, who’s sitting on top of Burns with her gun drawn and pointed in his face. “Riza, what are you doing here?”

“I was on my way to pay Chris’ bail with the General when we heard about the pursuit,” Riza explains, without taking her gun or gaze off Burns. “We just happened to turn onto this street at the right time.”

“Speaking of, where’s Mustang?” Ed asks curiously since it didn’t escape his notice that Roy isn’t here.

“He’s in the car. I told him to stay behind.”

Ed raises an eyebrow. “And he _listened_?” he says surprised, which draws a snort from Detective Adams.

Riza looks up at him for the first time and the evil glint in her eye tells him all that he needs to know.

“I gotta say, that was a beautiful tackle ma’am,” Detective Adams praises while all of the officers nod in agreement.

Riza’s expression softens as she looks over at Detective Adams. “Thank you,” she says. “Do you know who this is?”

“We believe that he’s the one who framed Chris Mustang,” Detective Adams informs.

Riza hums. “I see,” she says before digging her knee into Burns’ pelvis, which results in the man letting out a painful groan.

Detective Adams opens her mouth but before she can say anything, several police cars swerve onto the street and park haphazardly. They quickly kill their sirens and keep their lights on as the officer’s climb out of the car and scatter across the area.

Riza turns her head away from Detective Adams and looks around the scene curiously. “What’s all this?”

Detective Adams clicks her tongue. “Backup. Late as usual,” she says with a sigh and a shake of her head. “We’ll take it from here. Thanks for the assist, Colonel Hawkeye.”

Riza nods as she clicks on the safety and holsters her gun. She climbs off Burns and as soon as she’s clear, Ramirez and Sanchez swoop in. Ramirez holds Burns while Sanchez cuffs him and informs him of his rights. They quickly bring Burns to his feet and lead him over to the swarm of police cars.

Ed watches Burns get placed in the back of the cruiser before turning to Detective Adams, who is wearing a smile on her face.

“That was some good work today, Major,” Detective Adams says as she holds out her hand.

Ed smiles and shakes her hand before releasing it. “It was good working with you guys. And please, call me Ed. I’m not a fan of military titles.”

Detective Adams nods. “Noted. In that case, you may call me Tanisha.”

Ed nods his understanding. “Thank you for everything.”

Tanisha laughs. “I should be the one saying that,” she says before shaking her head. “Oh, before I go, take this.” She reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a card. “If you’re ever in a bind, give me a call.”

Ed takes the card from her and looks it over. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he says as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. He opens it and places the card inside before returning his wallet to its proper place.

Detective Adams smiles and claps her hands. “Alright, I’m gonna go. Chris Mustang should be released and waiting for pickup by now. If not, the DA is going to get an angry visit from me. You guys take it easy.”

“You too,” Ed says.

Detective Adams nods in thanks before walking away.

Ed watches her until she joins up with the other officers before turning to Riza, who is regarding him with a soft smile.

“You ready to see Roy and get Chris?”

Ed nods and follows Hawkeye past the officers and around the corner until they reach a black military issued vehicle. Ed can’t help but grin to himself when he realizes that she drove the car with the heavy tinted windows.

Riza reaches the car first and slides into the driver’s seat before shutting the door behind him. Ed follows in suit a few seconds later, opening the backdoor and climbing inside. He’s barely able to shut the door before Roy is on him, pulling him into a passionate and messy kiss that Ed has no problem keeping up with. Ed settles into Roy’s arms, wrapping his own around Roy’s neck, and kissing back until the need for air becomes too much.

Roy ends up pulling away first and nuzzles Ed’s nose while they catch their breath. “Thank you.”

Ed snorts quietly. “Aunt Chris is my family too,” he says and the blinding smile that Roy gives him was well worth all the bullshit that they went through today.

*

“So, has anyone at Command figured you and Roy boy out yet?” Aunt Chris asks later that night as she pours Ed a glass of whiskey.

Ed snorts. “You mean other than Grumman? Maybe. I mean, there are only so many times that I can come and go from Roy’s house before people start talking,” he admits before knocking back his glass.

Aunt Chris frowns as she pours her own drink. “Are you worried?”

Ed shakes his head. “I’m not because if anyone in high command outs us, I will out all of the Generals having _affairs_ with their subordinates. Our relationship has always been legal and has never interfered with our work. They can go fuck themselves.

Aunt Chris laughs heartily. “You’re just like your Aunt Chris,” she says before knocking back her glass.

Ed grins and opens his mouth to say something when there’s a knock on the door. Ed’s grin falls flat as he exchanges a look with Aunt Chris before they both turn and watch the door warily. The doorknob jiggles and the door opens to reveal Winry and Roy on the other side.

Aunt Chris smiles widely. “There’s my daughter,” she says as she circles the counter and wraps Winry in a tight hug. “I was hoping you were going to stop by. I missed you so much!”

“I’ve missed you too, Aunt Chris,” Winry says happily as she hugs Aunt Chris back with a wide smile on her face.

Ed watches the two of them with a smile on his face. He loves how much Aunt Chris loves and cares for Winry and Al, which is part of the reason why she calls them her daughter and son, respectively.

Ed is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice Roy approaching until a warm arm is wrapped around his waist and familiar lips press against his cheek. He sighs content and leans his weight against Roy.

“As much as I love seeing you here, why weren’t you at home? When I went to get Winry, she said you weren’t there.”

Ed sighs, slightly annoyed. “Can’t a man visit family without having an ulterior motive?”

“Beanpole is sulking.”

“Fuck you, Grandma, I’m not a beanpole. And I’m not sulking.”

“Ed,” Roy says gently while failing to hide his amusement. “Are you jealous because I’ve been spending time with Winry?”

Ed throws his arms into the air. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“You are,” Roy says before throwing his arms around Ed and pulling him into a tight hug. “Aw, Ed, you know that you’re my one and only.”

“Fuck off, bastard,” Ed says, shifting his arms until he can place his hands on Roy’s chest in an effort to push him away, even though he doesn’t really try.

“Not on your life,” Roy says before turning Ed’s head and kissing him.

Ed practically melts against Roy. He ignores Winry and Aunt Chris’s catcalls in favor of pulling Roy closer.

“You boys know that I have plenty of rooms if you need to borrow one,” Aunt Chris says, which causes Ed and Roy to pull away from each other in shock.

Roy shakes his head before turning to Aunt Chris. “We won’t need—”

“Oh they’ll need it,” Winry interrupts. “I hear them every night because Ed won’t shut up. Al and I have to hide in the garden.”

“Ah,” Aunt Chris says with a nod. “I always knew that Ed was the screamer.”

Ed sputters. “What the fuck is this?”

“Girl talk, now hush up,” Aunt Chris says. “Oh, are you boys going to be staying for dinner too?”

Roy snorts quietly. “Not anymore,” he mumbles.

Aunt Chris quirks up an eyebrow.

Roy clears his throat. “Yes, we are.”

“Good,” Aunt Chris says before turning to Winry. “Do you know when my third son is going to be here?”

“Al’s on his way,” Winry says before she and Aunt Chris resume talking about Roy and Ed’s sex life.

Ed sighs heavily as he leans against Roy. “This is going to be a long night.”


End file.
